Jay Z Asked to End Ties With Barneys After Racial Profiling Claims

Jay Z isn’t a businessman, he’s a business, man. And with business often comes backlash.

This week, Jay faced criticism for his recent partnership with Barneys New York, which is set to launch a clothing line with the rapper on Nov. 20, after two African American shoppers claimed the store racially profiled them.

According to the New York Daily News, a 19-year-old college student Trayon Christian, who bought a $349 belt, was stopped on his way out of the store. Christian says he was handcuffed, imprisoned and interrogated on how he could afford such an expensive item. Just days later, a 21-year-old Brooklyn woman named Kayla Phillips, who had just purchased a $2,500 Céline handbag, was also stopped and accused of using a fraudulent card.